Is Inositol Helpful Overall Or Not?

[KyleKingsly]

Got a huge bag of Inositol before I knew about Peat and this forum. Now I know to avoid promoting serotonin, which does stuff seems to do by sensitizing serotonin receptors. In addition, some think that it could act like an SSRI, which I don't want anything to do with. 19 Inositol (Myoinositol) Benefits: PCOS, Anxiety, Weight Loss - Selfhacked

However, it does seem to calm me down and make me feel subtly but noticeably more relaxed in social settings. This is probably partially due to its role in increasing GABA, but it also is likely linked to Inositol's role in upregulating D2 receptors, including striatal D2: Chronic inositol increases striatal D(2) receptors but does not modify dexamphetamine-induced motor behavior. Relevance to obsessive-compulsive dis... - PubMed - NCBI.

Dopamine is great as we all know but in particular striatal dopamine receptors are highly linked to social status and acumen. People with social anxiety like me tend to have lower striatal dopamine receptor senstivity, while people with higher striatal receptor are basically better liked (https://www.elsevier.com/about/pres...eceptor-density-correlates-with-social-status).

So if we can boost our striatal receptor sensitivity, it's very likely going to help us be more confident and have better social lives. There are very few substances I've come across that upregulate dopamine receptors, particularly in the striatum, so inositol is very much unique in this MoA afaik.

The second link I attached states that inositol has a significant effect on D2 receptors, but an insignificant one on serotonin receptors, at least in the striatum. That makes me think that Inositol would be worth it overall, particularly for someone like me. However, I've also seen a number of people on here saying not to take Inositol. So just wanted to get some guidance overall on whether it's worth it.

 

[freyasam]

I asked Peat about inositol:

"I think it’s very safe, if it’s pure, and it has some general cell-stabilizing effects."

It made me very tired but had some very positive effects. I think Peat wouldn't recommend it if it promoted serotonin. Worth a shot.

 

[KyleKingsly]

Amazing, thanks man. I actually really enjoyed it while I was taking it so it's back on it I go! I think it definitely does promote serotonin but it seems like that effect is weak enough that it's worth it overall.

 

[Mossy]

Interesting. I thought I remember reading, as well, that inositol was pro-serotonin. I am glad to hear that it's not, because inositol is definitely calming for me; though, I think I do recall it negatively effects libido. I feel lysine has a lot of the calming effects of inositol, and actually increases libido, but I feel has more of a hang-over/groggy effect. I'll have to test inositol again.

 

[freyasam]

Amazing, thanks man. I actually really enjoyed it while I was taking it so it's back on it I go! I think it definitely does promote serotonin but it seems like that effect is weak enough that it's worth it overall.

You're welcome. And I'm a woman. :)

 

[LeeLemonoil]

Vitamin B8 (Inositol) – Nootropics Expert

another interesting synopsis. There are indications that longterm use of Lithium leads to depleted inositol levels - intriguing nfo

 

[benaoao]

I’ve been tempted to use choline+inositol formulas as they’re sold on amazon. Might pull the trigger and try that on and off.

 

[ddjd]

in my experience inositol lowers serotonin. on this website - 19 Inositol (Myoinositol) Benefits: PCOS, Anxiety, Weight Loss - Selfhacked

it says

"Inositol can be taken with SSRI’s because of its ability to prevent serotonin syndrome (i.e., serotonin toxicity) (R)." - surely that suggests its lowering serotonin....

"Myoinositol enhances serotonin receptor sensitivity (R)."

i'm not sure what the difference betwen myoinositol and regular inositol is though.

 

[KyleKingsly]

I’ve been tempted to use choline+inositol formulas as they’re sold on amazon. Might pull the trigger and try that on and off.

Wouldn't recommend choline, it's not really Peaty and makes me and many other people feel off. For me that manifests as (increased) anxiety, for many other it's depression.

in my experience inositol lowers serotonin. on this website - 19 Inositol (Myoinositol) Benefits: PCOS, Anxiety, Weight Loss - Selfhacked

it says

"Inositol can be taken with SSRI’s because of its ability to prevent serotonin syndrome (i.e., serotonin toxicity) (R)." - surely that suggests its lowering serotonin....

"Myoinositol enhances serotonin receptor sensitivity (R)."

i'm not sure what the difference betwen myoinositol and regular inositol is though.

Myoinositol is the same thing as inositol, and I believe that it's definitely possible to prevent serotonin toxicity while simultaneously increasing or at least not altering serotonin levels, just as it's possible to prevent dopamine toxicity while increasing or not altering dopamine levels. Antioxidants come to mind, for one thing (wrt to dopamine). Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Btdubs - for anyone starting out on inositol, start with low doses and ramp up slowly. It's hard on the digestive system if you know what I mean :P

 

[Frankdee20]

Wouldn't recommend choline, it's not really Peaty and makes me and many other people feel off. For me that manifests as (increased) anxiety, for many other it's depression.



Myoinositol is the same thing as inositol, and I believe that it's definitely possible to prevent serotonin toxicity while simultaneously increasing or at least not altering serotonin levels, just as it's possible to prevent dopamine toxicity while increasing or not altering dopamine levels. Antioxidants come to mind, for one thing (wrt to dopamine). Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Btdubs - for anyone starting out on inositol, start with low doses and ramp up slowly. It's hard on the digestive system if you know what I mean :P

Hmm, this one gets a lot of good notoriety for anxiety treatment. For me, at some point in dosing, perhaps at 2 grams, I got bad anxiety and depersonalization from it. It has been linked to 5ht2a receptor upregulation.

 

[ddjd]

Wouldn't recommend choline, it's not really Peaty and makes me and many other people feel off. For me that manifests as (increased) anxiety, for many other it's depression.

Go to mitolipin thread. Peat quote saying he would take 100mg-300mg saturated Choline daily

 

[Frankdee20]

Hmm, this one gets a lot of good notoriety for anxiety treatment. For me, at some point in dosing, perhaps at 2 grams, I got bad anxiety and depersonalization from it. It has been linked to 5ht2a receptor upregulation.

Oh I meant Inositol by the way

 

[alywest]

Is it just me or do a lot of websites just throw out the comment that "this (so-called positive activity or supplement) increases serotonin!" because it's supposed to be the "happy hormone?" I have heard that meditation also increases serotonin and some people even claim that they had some serious mental health issues after starting intensive meditation practices, so maybe there is actually truth to that one.

And B6 is also supposed to help convert tryptophan to serotonin but Peat still says it's ok.

 

[Frankdee20]

Is it just me or do a lot of websites just throw out the comment that "this (so-called positive activity or supplement) increases serotonin!" because it's supposed to be the "happy hormone?" I have heard that meditation also increases serotonin and some people even claim that they had some serious mental health issues after starting intensive meditation practices, so maybe there is actually truth to that one.

And B6 is also supposed to help convert tryptophan to serotonin but Peat still says it's ok.

Some Serotonin is good but generally mostly bad, and that has a lot to do with receptors

 

[alywest]

Some Serotonin is good but generally mostly bad, and that has a lot to do with receptors

Yeah, but I would think that the best thing would be to detoxify as much of it as possible before it gets to your brain. I mean, unless you are on a bunch of acid or mushrooms, you're probably going to get some serotonin to your brain, right?

 

[Frankdee20]

Yeah, but I would think that the best thing would be to detoxify as much of it as possible before it gets to your brain. I mean, unless you are on a bunch of acid or mushrooms, you're probably going to get some serotonin to your brain, right?

Serotonin that’s outside the brain doesn’t cross the barrier into it.

 

[Amazoniac]

- Inositol Modulation of Essential Metabolic Pathways of Insulin Resistance (AugSept 2015) Townsend Letter, Alternative Medicine Magazine

- Mind and Tissue (chapter 12):

Other "orthomolecules" besides niacin would be potassium, vitamin E (improving oxygen supply, facilitating cell retention of proteins), inositol (stabilizer of cells and proteins against denaturing or "dehydrating" influences, Webb, 1965), the other B vitamins, vitamin C, anabolic steroids (for example, the androgens, and progesterone, ginseng, eleutherococcus) to promote protein synthesis and retention of potassium and creatine and ATP.

By the way, I'm considering writing a book entitled 'Mind with Issues: accounts from a casomorphed brain'.

 

[Dave Clark]

Some would say this is the best way to get your inositol: IP6 Research

 

[Amazoniac]

Myo-inositol content of common foods: development of a high-myo-inositol diet

Spoiler: By expanding I agree that my mobile device will crash

There's something odd here, the values of fruits and their fresh juices aren't matching.

for the authors, finally researchers that know how to properly compose this kind of table in a way that has practival value for humanoids.

 

[Zpol]

I take it for PCOS. An unexpected bonus is that it helps with constipation (but doesn't cause diarrhea).

It's important to take a little D-chiro-inositol with myo-inositol or you could get yourself an imbalance and throw everything off. The normal ratio is 40:1 myo-inositol to D-chiro-inositol.

I take Ovasitol, it has zero exipients or fillers. The taste is sweet, you can mix with anything.